By Adaobi Rhema Oguejiofor
The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arch. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to providing affordable and dignified housing for Nigerians under the Renewed Hope Housing Programme of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
In a statement, Dangiwa said that the housing programme is ambitious, people-oriented, and designed to take care of the needs of people at all income levels.
According to him, the three core components of the programme include Renewed Hope Cities, funded by PPP in six locations and are for the high-income earners. The second component is the Renewed Hope Estates, targeted in 30 states of the federation, which is for the medium- and low-income earners; and the third component, Renewed Hope Social Housing, which is in the planning phase, is for the low- to zero-income earners, the vulnerable and displaced persons.
With this in place, the Minister emphasised that the Ministry is working closely with state governments to provide land for the housing projects, while developers and financial institutions such as the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and the Family Homes Fund (FHF) would support housing delivery.
Dangiwa noted that cooperative societies also have a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of these initiatives and encouraged them to tap into the available resources. He highlighted that members could access federal mortgage loans with single-digit interest rates over 30 years, in addition to other financing options such as ethical mortgages, rent-to-own, and cooperative housing development loans specifically designed for bulk housing projects.
On concerns about the Brains and Hammers Bungalow City in Kubwa, Abuja, Dangiwa assured that FMBN and the developers were working together to resolve any outstanding issues and called on cooperative societies across Nigeria to mobilise and take advantage of the housing opportunities under the Renewed Hope programme.
Meanwhile, in a bid to further reaffirm its commitment, the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development is exploring partnership opportunities with the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), focusing on infrastructure development to support affordable housing and sustainable urban growth in Nigeria.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations for the Housing Ministry, Badamasi Haiba.
At a recent meeting between Dangiwa and a delegation from KFAED, the minister said that the focus of the partnership is to provide affordable housing and promote sustainable urban development in Nigeria.
He noted that the Ministry is currently implementing several strategic programmes that require both financial and technical interventions. One such programme is the establishment of building material manufacturing hubs across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, aimed at reducing the cost of building materials and creating job opportunities.
Dangiwa explained that each hub would occupy between 200 and 300 hectares of land and be fully equipped with critical infrastructure such as roads, drainage, electricity, and water.
He further presented the Centenary City project, located on 1,200 hectares along Abuja Airport Road, as another priority. He said funding is required to provide infrastructure that would attract investors to develop commercial, tourism, residential, and industrial zones within the district.
Dangiwa also highlighted the Ministry’s Urban Development mandate, which includes slum upgrades in rural and semi-urban areas. He stated that the initiative will provide roads, sanitation, electricity, schools, and hospitals to underserved communities.
The Minister requested technical support from KFAED, especially in conducting and updating feasibility studies for key projects like the Centenary City.
Another key area of proposed collaboration is the Renewed Hope Social Housing Programme, which aims to build 100 housing units in each of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas, targeting low-income and displaced individuals.
He explained the affordability model for the scheme to include the sale of 70 per cent of the houses to the low-income earners who would pay only 30 per cent of their income.
The rest would be subsidised by the government, while the remaining 30 per cent of houses would be given to the zero-income, underprivileged, and displaced individuals.
However, Dangiwa pointed out that the initiative is currently facing funding challenges.
On his part, the Director-General of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, Wahad Al-Bahar, acknowledged the importance of the partnership and reaffirmed the Fund’s commitment to identifying collaborative opportunities with Nigeria.
He clarified that KFAED’s policy does not allow it to directly finance housing projects but stated that the Fund is willing to support related infrastructure such as transport, education, agriculture, and other social sectors.
Dr. Al-Bahar disclosed that the Fund recently signed its first agreement in Nigeria with the Kaduna State Government for a project tagged “Reaching Out-of-School Children Programme”, describing the deal as a significant milestone.
Al-Bahar said that the priority areas outlined by the Ministry are significant and expressed the Fund’s readiness to consider them, depending on the availability of updated and detailed feasibility studies.